Almost Eternal
by themindlessemblem
Summary: Chapter 4: Title: Heading Out...self explainitory really
1. Touched

Themindlessemblem: yay! My first story's first chapter!

Wendy: she didn't do anything. It was all us.

Serra: yeah she just sat there eating chocolate while we slaved away

Themindlessemblem: so not true! I wrote the story. Why else would Wendy only have an extras part?

Wendy: HEY! You said I was the main character!

Themindlessemblem: Um…

Serra: you're a liar! She said that I was the main character!

Themindlessemblem: I'm just going to go now… enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fire Emblem or any of its characters

…

Sophia stood among the trees silently, watching the camp. Roy and Lilina were laughing nearby her, but they were too preoccupied with each other to notice her. Two knights, one red and one green, were sparring each other. Two nomads were sitting peacefully by their tents, talking occasionally, but mostly just enjoying the outdoors. A pink armored knight was carefully walking as a purple haired mercenary smirked in amusement. Igraine was teaching Fa about the trees. Sophia smiled at the sight of the little dragon girl trying to reach the apples that hung just out of her reach. Fa would still be a little girl for a long, long time. Much longer than Sophia had been.

Unlike Fa, Sophia was only half dragon. She would live much longer than a normal human, but she would not live forever either. She was almost eighty years old, but she still looked like she was in her teens. Her hand automatically reached up to touch her wrinkle-free skin. Even though she dreaded the thought of growing older, even wrinkles and slow movement would be better from ever so slowly moving forward in time. She would prefer to be reaching death than to be like this, feeling as if she should be ending soon, and yet knowing the end would not come for a long long while.

Yawning and frowning, Sophia lowered herself to the ground and leaned against the trees, hoping for sleep to claim her from her troubled thoughts, when she heard a voice call out, "Hey, you over there!"

She didn't open her eyes, assuming that the voice meant someone else. It called out again, "Hey, can you not hear me, or are you just ignoring me?"

Sophia felt a shadow come across her face and opened her eyes in confusion. Standing over her was a boy of around fifteen, with messy light green hair and dark purple robes. He was glaring at her, obviously waiting for something. She turned her head to the right, and to the left slowly, looking for somebody else he would be talking to. She saw no one.

"…Uh…" she turned her face back towards him. "...Me?"

"Is there anyone else here?" he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. "Geez, are you deaf, or just plain stupid?"

She wondered if he actually expected her to answer that question. She figured that he didn't because he was still talking.

"Anyway, I've heard you use ancient dark magic. Is it true?" His voice was eager. Sophia thought he probably already knew it was true, so she let her eyes close. She was pretty sure that she would not have to play a big part in this conversation.

"Let me see your spell books. I don't think I've ever seen…" She sensed him crouch down, and his hand brushed her arm.

It felt like an electric shock. No one has touched her in so long, she had forgotten how it felt. She had not allowed them to touch her. They shouldn't have, they shouldn't have cared about her at all. She was just a half-breed, a hybrid, not truly belonging in the world of the humans or of the dragons. She didn't want to taint them with her unnatural existence. And, now here was an innocent young boy, being tainted by her, and even if she loved the touch, she had to stop him. So her eyes flew open, her right hand came up, and she released a tiny bit of dark magic, just enough to blast him away from her.

He stared at her; cerulean eyes wide open in shock. She felt guilty for having to throw him so forcefully. She really could have just moved away.

"Ow!" He cried, holding his elbow, for it had slammed into a tree trunk quite hard. "What the… Did you just do that?"

"…Please…don't touch…me," She needed to make sure he knew not to touch her ever again. She didn't want to have to blast him every time he came close to her.

His eyes were now hard and determined.

"…Well, well…" he muttered to himself, "You dare stand up to me?"

Sophia blinked, hoping that he would go away soon so she could think.

"Ah, fine. I'll leave you alone for now," he said. "But you're showing me that spell book the next time we meet!" he ran off, still rubbing his elbow.

Sophia blinked again, trying to stop the tears from falling. Yet they still fell down her cheeks as she tried furiously to rub them away. She didn't know why she felt so sad that there couldn't be a next time. It really was the best thing for the boy. However, the selfish part of her wanted to talk to him again. She had sensed that he was a noble and caring child, who loved his brother dearly. She sometimes hated the way she knew almost everything about someone just by hearing their voice.

The tears, which had been dying down, came back now with a vengeance. They had been held in for so long, that now with this slight incident, they all exploded out. All of her longing, guilt, hurt, and hate plummeted from her eyes. She hugged her knees and lowered her head, letting the tears soak her robe until she was empty of them.

When the sobs stopped coming, she wiped her eyes with the sleeve that the boy had touched. She had made up her mind about something. It was dark, and everyone else had retired. Deciding not to follow their example, she stood up and walked to the center of the camp. Her lavender hair dragged behind her, glowing in the moonlight. No sleep would come to her tonight. She felt too guilty over the fact that she had decided to talk to the boy again. For better or for worse.

…

Wendy: …Well, I guess that I make an appearance…

Serra: I'M STILL MAD!!!!!

Themindlessemblem: get over yourself Serra, I'll write a story about you eventually.

Wendy: WHAT ABOUT-

Themindlessemblem: you too Wendy!

Wendy and Serra: Review please!

Themindlessemblem: no flames though…


	2. A Gift

Marisa: So, mindlessemblem couldn't come today…

Marcia: She's a sobbing heap.

Serra: Wanna know why?

Wendy: YOU DIDN'T REVIEW!!!

Marcia: To be fair, it has only been three days…

Marisa: …and people have read it…

Wendy: Still though.

Serra: She won't write another chapter until you review!

Marcia: or give her chocolate…

**Disclaimer: **Do I really need to tell you that I do not own Fire Emblem? I mean, duh!

…

Rei turned his head towards the voice calling out his name. Lugh was running towards him at a break-neck pace. Rei's eyes widened in panic. He looked around desperately for a way out. He did NOT want to talk to his brother now.

"Rei! Rei! I said, Rei!" Lugh came skidding to a halt in front of him.

Finally realizing that there was no way out of this conversation, Rei sighed, and replied, "…I can hear you. You don't have to shout like that. …What do you want?"

Lugh opened his mouth, and Rei prayed that he would not ask why he had left the orphanage. Rei could never take his sad, puppy-dog eyes…

"Here. That's your share," Lugh held out what looked like some sort of tart.

Rei made a questioning noise. Where on earth had his brother gotten those? They looked so… tasty.

"What are these?" he asked.

Lugh grinned. "Baked tarts, as you can see. The meal delivery man gave me some extra ones." His grin got even wider. "They look good, don't they?"

Rei's mouth watered, "…Sweets…" He mumbled, imagining the tart's taste. But then his senses came back to him. "They're hard to get nowadays. You should savor them and eat them for yourself." He couldn't take such food from his brother. He didn't need it as much as Lugh did.

Lugh's smile vanished, "They won't be good if I eat them by myself. So, let's eat them together later today. Anyway, I'll be going now. Oh!" his frown deepened as he continued, "one more thing. You should at least respond when you're spoken to!"

Rei tried to cut in here, but Lugh just spoke over his protests, "With me, it's fine, but you shouldn't act like that with strangers. People are going to misjudge you for being antisocial or something."

Lugh then smiled, and ran off to go talk to Chad. Rei stared after him, shaking his head slowly.

"Misjudge, huh? …Yeah, right. Good ol' Lugh is just as naïve as ever."

Shaking his head and chuckling, he turned around, planning to go bother Hugh about his Resire spell book. However, he found himself face to face with the girl from the other day. Her expression was a little startled, and her hand hovered slightly in front of her. Thinking she planned to blast him with another spell, he stumbled backwards, managing to trip over his own feet.

"Whoa!" he yelled as he fell, landing flat on his back. He quickly sat up. "Y-You!? Damn, how could I have not noticed you coming so close…"

She looked very confused, and slightly amused by his antics. Her head was cocked to the side and there was a slight smile on her face. Her long lavender hair was down as usual, the ends resting on the ground. They were a little bit brown from the dirt they had picked up as they dragged along behind the girl. The girl said nothing, and did not extend her hand to help him up.

Rei picked himself up and attempted to brush the dirt off his back. He then turned back to her, his voice still a little shaky from shock, "Wh-What do you want!? Are you trying to pay me back for the other day?" Honestly, he didn't know what he had done to make her angry the other day. He'd just wanted to see her books…

He then processed that the girl was holding out a book to him. Her expression was hesitant, but hopeful. In a soft voice she said, "…Here…"

Rei looked down at the book in awe. It was the legendary dark magic book he had been searching for. It was the reason he had stolen Hugh's Resire spell book; the disappointment he had felt when he realized it wasn't the one he wanted still smarted a little. And now, she was… just _giving _it to him?

"The dark magic book! The legendary one…" he gasped in amazement when he realized that it was really _real_! He gingerly took it from her outstretched hands and almost dropped it when she let go suddenly.

"…Yes…" she said, frowning a little and gazing down at her hands. "…You know much…"

He opened the book eagerly, leafing through the pages. "Of course I do!" he exclaimed. "Do you have any idea how long I've been looking for this!?" she flinched a little at this comment, but he didn't really notice. "So this is it…Wow…I can feel its power!"

"…Do you want it?" she asked hesitantly. He looked up, startled.

"I can have it?!" He was filled with elation at the thought of owning this. But then his unselfish side kicked in forcing out a, "But…"

She looked at him, bemused at his protest.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "Don't you need it as well? Why give it to me?" her actions puzzled him. After all, just yesterday she had blasted him against a tree for talking to her. He wanted to know why she was suddenly changing her demeanor towards him.

He mouth opened as if to say something. Her eyes were troubled. She took a breath, and Rei leaned in to hear what she was going to say…

But then she shook her head slightly, giving him a regretful look. She turned and walked away, hair dragging behind her like always.

"Hey, wait! Hey!" he called, but she kept walking, leaving him with the spell book.

Rei looked down at it. He didn't like how she had just given it to him. He wasn't a beggar! But more than this indignation, he felt guilty. He hadn't actually thanked her. Actually, he realized, he didn't even know her name.

"Hey Rei!" he heard Lugh cry out. He turned toward the voice. "Whatcha got?" Lugh asked.

Rei hastily shoved the book under his robes. "Nothing," He responded, avoiding his brother's eyes. Lugh looked at him disbelievingly, but he didn't push it. He knew not to call Rei on his lies.

"Can we eat the tarts now?" Lugh asked. Rei sighed.

"Fine. Just a sec, I need to check on something."

"Ok! I'll be over there!" Lugh told him, and ran over into the field.

Sighing, Rei trudged over to his tent to deposit his new spell book. He no longer felt as exhilarated about owning it. In fact, he kind of wanted to return it. After he studied it, of course. His studies came before his pride. He placed the book on his cot and reluctantly walked back outside to spend some quality time with his brother.

…

"Hey, Lugh?" Rei asked after he had eaten his tart. Lugh was still happily working on his, but looked up when his brother said his name. "Who's the girl with the long lavender hair?"

Lugh frowned, seeming deep in thought. After a few moments, he shook his head and shrugged.

"I don't know. She doesn't talk much," he tilted his head, considering. "She came with Igraine and Fa, however. You could ask one of them."

Rei looked over at the sniper and the dragon girl. They were deep in conversation, Fa looking around her every now and again in wonder.

"Nah," he said. "Don't care that much."

"Why do you ask then?" Lugh asked, curiously.

"No reason," Rei lied. "I just heard she used dark magic."

Lugh shook his head in amusement. "Always about your studies isn't it?" Although it was clearly meant as a joke, there was a trace of bitterness in his voice. Lugh stood up, brushing the crumbs off his robe.

"Lugh," Rei started, but he interrupted him by saying, "See you later, Rei," and darting off.

Rei put his head in his hands. What was it about his brother that could make him feel so guilty about his choice to leave the orphanage? It really had been what was best; Rei wouldn't have lasted much longer there anyway, and this had been the least painful way to go. But Lugh's sad eyes haunted his thoughts, and all rational arguments for his case disappeared. All that remained was the fact that he'd left his brother the same way their mom and dad had left them.

Rei shook his head to clear it from the dark thoughts. Standing, he decided that talking to Hugh would make him feel better. He never ended up feeling guilty after their conversations. He raced off to find him, pushing the girl and Lugh to the back of his mind. He'd deal with it later.

…

Serra: You'll only get more if you review.

Marisa: mindlessemblem won't stop crying until you review.

Marcia: OR bring her lots of chocolate

Wendy: It would be even better if you also brought her something pretty

Serra: SO DO IT!!!!!!!!!!


	3. Guilt

Wendy: mindlessemblem is back!!!!!!

Themindlessemblem: HI!

Serra: …darn…

Themindlessemblem: hey!

Serra: kidding. only kidding.

Marcia: she stopped crying because she got a review!

Marisa: Finally.

Themindlessemblem: I want to express my heartfelt thanks to Rast8a for the constructive criticism. Everyone should follow their example. Anyway, to respond to their review…

Themindlessemblem: I forgive you for not bringing me chocolate. thanks for the compliment on the plot! And yes, I've kind of been relying on the support conversations to help move the story along, so there are some spoilers in there. Sorry about the Rei and Lugh convo spoilers. But there won't be any spoilers in this chapter! I hope… Also, I can't fathom why no one is writing Sophia fics. She's such a cool character! And yes again, you are the only one who has reviewed so far.

Wendy: yay for you!

Marisa: thank you very much!

Marisa: Onward to the third chapter of Almost Eternal

**Disclaimer: **I'm already getting sick of saying this. I DO NOT OWN FIRE EMBLEM.

…

Someone to Talk to

Sophia walked around the camp, lost in her thoughts. She almost ran smack into Roy, pulling up only at the last minute. She shook her head to clear it as Roy turned and asked,

"Sophia? You feeling okay?"

She nodded, apologizing softly befor heading back on her aimless prowl.

She hadn't told Roy the truth however. She wasn't really feeling okay. Her head felt as empty as that odd dancer's brain. What was her name? Lotty. Lisa. Laney. Something like that.

She walked past her now, chatting and laughing at a flushing mercenary as a pink haired knight looked on with jealously. Sophia hastily turned around, hoping she wouldn't see her. The dancer had taken to chatting with her, trying to get her to talk, and Sophia wasn't sure if she could handle her blabbing today. However, it was too late. The girl caught sight of her and rushed towards her, leaving the mercenary sighing in relief.

"Sophia!" she shrilled. Sophia winced. Her voice was so high-pitched…

The dancer (Lizzie? Leanne?) fell into step beside her and attempted to put her arm around her like she always did. Sophia flinched away. The dancer giggled,

"Oh right! I forgot! No touching!" she giggled again. "Hey, those were all two word sentences!"

Sophia nodded weakly. The feeling of light-headedness was increasing by the minute

"Have you seen Roy? I can't seem to find him anywhere?" she pouted a little when Sophia shook her head, feeling sorry for Roy and covering for him. "I swear, it seems like he's avoiding me… So, what are _you_ doing!?"

Sophia looked down at her feet, thinking the answer was obvious. But the girl continued to look expectant, so Sophia sighed and answered, "…walking."

"I know that!" the girl exclaimed. "But where? Go on, tell little miss Lalam where you're going!"

So her name was Lalam. Sophia shrugged, answering her question honestly. She really didn't know where she was going.

"Come on, tell me!" Lalam squealed. "It can't be _that _bad!"

Sophia wondered where on earth Lalam thought she was going, and then decided that she really couldn't talk to the dancer right now. So, feeling very guilty, she raised her arm and pointed it in a random direction, and said, "…I hear… Roy…"

"Really!?!?" Lalam shrieked. "Yay! Thanks Sophia!!!!!!"

She jumped up in the air in her glee, and raced off to the place that Sophia had indicated. Sophia sighed, hoping Roy wasn't really over there. She turned around, and headed back to her tent, holding her aching head in her hands.

…

She sat down on her cot, automatically reaching inside her robes for her spell book, only to encounter the empty space and remember that she had given it to that boy. She still couldn't figure out why she had done that. It had just been an impulse. He had wanted it, and so she had decided to give it to him. She thought that he would be grateful and talk to her more often. However, it seemed to have backfired. He now seemed to just avoid her.

He hadn't really even thanked her. She knew, thanks to her power, that he was grateful, but it had slipped his mind, in his excitement, to be polite. It kind of hurt, for reasons she could not figure out, that he had thought the spell book so much more important than her feelings. It was really just a bunch of paper… Well, a bunch of powerful, legendary paper. But paper nonetheless.

Really, she had no justification for feeling this way. She didn't even know the shaman's name. The one thing her power couldn't sense was names. It was very annoying to know everything about a person except their name. Everything except a name learned by the sound of someone's voice…

Sophia groaned softly; her head had begun to pound with a vengeance. She pulled her knees up to her chest, rested her head against them, and began to rock beck and forth. She felt like crying and screaming but she couldn't. She finally put a name on the emotion she was feeling. _Guilt._

And with that, the memories that she had struggled to put out of her mind resurfaced…

"_Sophia!" Fa cried. "Watch out!"_

_Sophia spun around, narrowly missing an arrow. She turned towards where it had come from, sending a surge of dark magic. Her eyes fell upon the indigo haired archer just as she released it, and she looked into the eyes of the terrified enemy. He couldn't have been more than sixteen._

_He screamed as her magic engulfed him. "Ashleigh!"_

_Sophia froze at the sound of his voice. All the boy's memories invaded her mind. _

…

_A kind looking woman with indigo hair, smiling gently. She gazed into her son's eyes with such tenderness and love. He was crying because he had broken his toy bow. She lifted the five year old into her arms and let him cry himself out. When he was finally done, she made him a big glass of hot milk and sent him off to bed. He gave her a light kiss on the cheek and mumbled,_

"_Thanks, Mommy."_

…

_A gruff man with a careless smile. He ruffled his son's hair when he finally managed to get his arrow in the center circle of the target. The nine year old whooped, throwing his arms up into the air and running victory laps around him. The man growled and snatched him up and spun him around in a circle. The boy laughed in glee and spread his arms out like he was flying. The man stopped as he began to get dizzy, and pulled his son into a bear hug. The boy hugged back and whispered,_

"_I love you, Daddy"_

…

_A little girl no more than five. Her indigo hair was down and hug around her waist. She swung hands with her twelve year old brother as they walked to the town square. Suddenly, she spotted something shiny by her feet. She stopped suddenly and reached down to pick up a penny. She looked up at her brother and grinned. _

"_Heads up!" she giggled, holding the penny so her brother could see._

"_Nice job, Ashleigh!" he ruffled her hair. "That penny will bring us good luck!"_

"_Good luck!" she echoed. "Good luck!"_

"_Yep!" the boy agreed, pulling her along the road._

_Suddenly, she held out the penny to him. "Take it! Take good luck!"_

_Her brother smiled gently, looking a lot like his mother. He took the penny and said, "Alright, Ashleigh. I'll keep it with me always."_

"_Good," she said, and they continued on her way._

…

_A brown haired teen with a mischievous glint in his eyes, a soft-spoken dark green haired girl, and a confident rainbow haired girl who dreamt big. They were sitting in a restaurant along with their fifteen year old friend with indigo hair. The brown hair boy put his arm around the quiet one and she rested her head on his shoulder and continued to gaze at the menu uncertainly. The dreamer announced, _

"_I'm getting the spiciest thing on here!"_

_The boy smirked. "Of course you are, Mira. And then you will scream in pain on the first bite like last time."_

_Mira stuck her tongue out at him, then added, "Okay, maybe not…"_

_The dark green haired girl spoke up, not raising her eyes from the menu, "Yes, please order something normal for once Mira. You really scared me last time."_

_The mischievous one grinned. "And Tanja does not like to be scared. "_

_Tanja sighed. "I'm not the one who hyperventilated, Gerry."_

"_That's true." The boy put in._

_Gerry glared at him. "Shut up."_

_The boy pretended to be offended. "How come _I _get a rebuke and Tanja doesn't?"_

"_Because she's nicer than you are… usually."_

"_Don't be mean to Tanja. I know from experience that she'll hit you in a painful place- such as a broken bone- with her Flux tome." Mira warned._

"_I apologized for that already. Plus it was last year!" Tanja protested quietly._

_The waiter came. "Do you know what you would like?"_

_Mira grinned. "The spiciest thing you've got!"_

_Mira and Gerry groaned in unison, but the boy just grinned._

…

_Mira burst out in tears. The sixteen year old boy looked on helplessly. _

"_I'm sorry Mira, but I need to go help fight." He said gently._

"_Gerry an- and Tanja have left already!" she wailed. "You're going to-to just leave me here?!"_

"_Mira-" the boy started, but Mira cut him off._

"_You could _die_!" she screamed and then broke down in sobs again. "You could leave me forever!"_

_The boy pulled her into his arms and stroked her hair, muttering soothing words about how he wasn't going to die._

"_How do you know?" she murmured._

_The boy pulled back and looked her straight in the eyes. "I've got people I love to come back to. My mom, my dad, my sister…" he leaned in and gave her a kiss. She gasped, surprised. He pulled back and said, with utmost seriousness , "And you."_

_She hugged him closer, letting her tear stain his shirt._

_They stayed there for quite a while._

…

_A nine year old Ashleigh watched her brother mount his horse. Her hair was now shoulder length instead of around her waist. Her eyes sparkled with tears but she refused to let them fall._

_She asked, suddenly as if on impulse, "Do you have the penny I gave you?"_

_The boy looked at her, surprised. "Of course I do. I promised you I'd always keep it, didn't I?"_

_Ashleigh nodded and said, "Good."_

_The boy gazed her gently. "I promise I'll come back, Ash. You know I don't go back on my promises."_

_Ashleigh nodded again. She was near tears. "I'll be waiting for you. Don't leave me!"_

_The boy waved, somehow keeping his eyes locked on hers as the horse started to trot away into the horizon._

_Ashleigh called out a final time, tears blurring her vision and sounding way beyond her years, "Come back to me, Garvey! Don't leave me here!"_

_She watched him disappear._

…

_Garvey swung, looking for a threat. His arrow was notched and ready to go. He spotted an enemy shaman and sent it flying towards them. He heard a young girl's voice cry out, "Sophia! Look out!"_

_Garvey turned instinctively towards the voice, and spotted a young girl with short pink hair, running towards the shaman. He froze. She looked so much like his sister. Even though their hair color's didn't match and this girl looked a little younger, their hair length and basic facial structure. Her worry and love for the woman she had called Sophia was easily readable on her features. _

_Garvey was disgusted with himself. He had just tried to kill a young girl's friend, if not relative! Plus, he had attacked a woman! He couldn't believe he had done such a dishonorable thing even in the heat of the moment. _

_So preoccupied with his self-disgust, he failed to notice the dark magic heading towards him. He felt it engulf him and suck away his breath. He tried to scream but he had no air. He clawed at his throat trying to breathe. _

_The feeling of suffocating went away, but Garvey knew he was finished. He raised his eyes to the heavens and called out, "Ashleigh," in terrible guilt. His eyes met those of the shaman he had tried to kill. Her eyes were transfixed with horror. Garvey smiled, happy that at least that pink haired girl would still be happy. He started to pray as his eyes drifted shut…_

God, keep Mira and Ashleigh safe and happy. Help them and Mom and Dad through their grief and do not let them give into despair. Please let Gerry and Tanja be okay. And please, please God let this war end soon. Let it end.

…

_Sophia stumbled towards the body of the archer she had felled. She fell to her knees beside him, tears running down her face. She laid her face down on his chest and sobbed, saying over and over, "I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry."_

_She felt Clarine hover over her. The fighting had ended._

"_Are you hurt, Sophia?" she asked._

_Sophia considered that question. Her heart hurt, yes. But she didn't think that healing staves could help with that. So she lifted her head from Garvey's chest and answered "…No…"_

_Clarine looked a little uncertain. "Well, if you say so…" she then galloped off._

_Sophia then turned her head to see the boy who she had given her spell book staring at her with a slightly worried expression on his face. However, when she met his eyes, he started and took a step back. She faintly wondered what he had seen in her face to make him react so. She turned back to the corpse growing cold beside her, then got up, and left it there._

…

Sophia curled in a ball on her bed, weeping. She hated her power! She felt like now she had killed a close friend, not just an enemy archer. All because he had to cry out that one name…

She wanted someone to talk to about this. She wanted to be able to cry on someone's shoulder and have them soothe her, like Garvey had done for Mira. Who would soothe Mira now? Sophia had destroyed true love, the closest of sibling bonds, and a good person. She hadn't just killed someone; she'd destroyed people's lives. And all she could think about was her own misery.

She wiped the tears from her face. Then she had an idea. She smiled faintly. Hopefully, the boy would be willing to help her…

…

Marisa: And now we get to…

Wendy: THE PLOT!

Serra: come back nxt chapter to see the beginning of…

Marcia: THE PLOT!

Wendy: because we promise that…

Marisa: THE-

Themindlessemblem: SHUT UP ABOUT THE PLOT! And it had a plot before!

Serra:…just keep telling yourself that.

Marcia: 'Til next time!


	4. Heading Out

Themindlessemblem: I'm back! With another chapter of Almost Eternal!

Serra: Yay?

Themindlessemblem: shut up, you!

Wendy: we want to again thank Rast8a for his lovely review.

Marcia: Yay Rast8a!

Themindlessemblem: and to answer your review…

Yeah, I know the memory part was kinda confusing, but I had no ideas on how to improve it… and as for the disclaimer, well, I have about twenty bucks so can't afford to really get sued at this point in time. And Serra is just a terrible speller.

Serra: wat r u talkin abuot? I rokc at spelig!

Marisa: …Right…

…anyway, Garvey was actually looking at Fa when he thought about the pink haired little girl. I think Fa has pink hair… Anyway, sorry if that confused you. I like your story! Keep writing it!

Themindlessemblem: and now on to the story!

**Disclaimer:** I will only own Fire Emblem on the day when hell freezes over, pigs fly, and my English teacher goes one day without saying "capuche?" or however you spell it!

…

Heading Out

"Roy?" Sophia called quietly. She took a hesitant step into his tent.

Roy was glaring down at a mound of scattered paper. He was sitting crisscross on the ground, head bent over the paperwork. He glanced up briefly as Sophia entered.

"Sophia," he sighed. "Can you believe how much work an army requires? Buying weapons and vulneraries, writing journals on our progression, keeping track of all the promotions and new members, finding out where on Elibe and beyond to go next…" he rested his head on one hand. "It's exhausting! Anyway, what is it you wanted?"

Sophia gulped nervously. She opened her mouth and said, "I was wondering… if I could be excused… from the army," she paused, gauging his reaction. He was frowning a bit. "For a while…"

"What do you need to do?" he asked testily. Sophia shifted uneasily.

"Um… I need…" she started, and then took a breath. "I need to make amends for something… I did… Someone I killed…" Roy looked at her in understanding.

"In this war you mean?" he inquired. Sophia nodded. "Sophia, you can't feel guilty for every life you take. I don't mean that you should enjoy it, but you don't have to personally apologize to their families."

"Please…" she begged, clasping her hands together. "I… need to do this…"

Roy threw his arms in the air in defeat. The quill he had been holding flew out of his hand. Sophia's eyes followed its descent to behind Roy's sleeping bag. Roy huffed in frustration, also gazing at the spot his quill had soared to. He turned his eyes back to Sophia.

"Fine. You can go," Sophia allowed herself a smile. "But, we can't spare much. You can take two tomes, a few vulneraries and a few other people."

Roy then added, "Just, make sure you take people that aren't invaluable to the army. For example, you can't take Lilina, Wolt, or Rutger. People like that." Sophia dipped her head in understanding. Roy's face softened for a minute.

"Be careful out there, Sophia," he told her, and Sophia backed out of the tent. She quietly walked to find that boy she had given the book to.

…

Rei was trying to find the girl with the long dragging hair. He was carrying the book she had given him under his robes in order to avoid Lugh's prying questions. However, he wasn't having much success with either finding her or getting Lugh to shut up.

"Where are you going? You look like you're looking for something. Can I help? I'm good at finding things. I found you, didn't I? Hey, you know that dancer chick? Let me tell you, her cooking is awful! I ate it anyway, 'cause I was being polite, but I almost threw up afterwards. But you know what? That General Douglass guy ate all of it! and then he said IT WAS VERY GOOD! I couldn't believe it. Hey, Rei, are you listening to me?"

"…Shut…up…" Rei mumbled, but Lugh didn't hear him and just kept chattering on. Rei scanned the camp again and spotted her emerging from Roy's tent. He quickly rushed over there, leaving Lugh gabbing to empty air.

"Rei?!" Lugh cried, watching him rush off. He was so annoying! He probably hadn't heard a word he'd said…

"Hey! Hey, you!" Rei called. The girl glanced up in surprise, wide lavender irises locking onto his blue ones.

"…Hello…" she mumbled. Rei was about to pull out the book to return it, but then he paused.

"What's your name? I never asked you…"

"Um…" Sophia started, realizing that she didn't know his either. "Sophia…My name is Sophia…"

"Nice to… well not meet you but…" Rei trailed off. "I'm Rei."

Sophia just looked at him, gathering her courage.

"I just came to-" Rei said, at the same time Sophia said, "Would you…" They both broke off awkwardly. Sophia hugged her arms to her chest; it was rather cold outside.

"You first," Rei told her, motioning her with his hand to go in. Sophia took a deep breath to gather her thoughts.

"Would you…um…do me a rather…large…favor?" she asked, tripping over her words a bit. Rei frowned.

"Depends on what it is."

"Just…consider it a way to…pay…for the book I gave you," she said, grasping for a reason her should help her.

Rei's frown deepened as he thought about her proposition. It would be an easy way to keep the book, while not feeling like a charity case but…

"Well, tell me what it is!" he demanded, slightly rudely. Sophia blinked slowly and stepped back the tiniest bit.

"I need to apologize… to someone…" she told him. He relaxed a bit, thinking that she would just ask him to carry a message to them or something. He stiffened again when she added, "In Bern…"

"In Bern!?" he exclaimed, and she nodded a little guiltily.

Well, if it was in Bern, than he had to say no, didn't he? He had promised himself he wouldn't leave Lugh again. But…Lugh would understand, wouldn't he? He knew that Rei was very serious about his studies… And also, this girl had given him a legendary tome! He couldn't exactly refuse to repay her!

Sophia was now shifting from foot to foot in embarrassment from asking such a request. Obviously, he would say no! No one was stupid enough to go into Bern at this time! After all, there _was _a war going on… And Bern the center of it all. She started to turn away, mumbling, "Never mind…"

"No, wait!" he called, and she slowly rotated to face him again. He looked a little torn. She waited patiently for him to gather his thoughts.

"I'll…go," he said, not believing that he was doing this. What was this girl to him? However, he shoved these thoughts away from his mind as he saw her face alight with happy smile. It was nice to make someone happy for once…

"Alright…I already asked Roy so…" she trailed off, still smiling. He grinned back.

"I'll go pack," he tossed over his shoulder, already rushing away. Sophia followed his example, heading to her tent with a spring in her step. She was really going!

…

They met at the edge of the camp a half hour later. Sophia had explained to Fa and Igraine where she was going and why. They had understood, but said they would miss her. Fa had made her promise to come back soon.

Rei, on the other hand, had left a note for Lugh. _Just like last time…_ he couldn't help thinking, before banishing those thoughts. However, a lingering feeling of guilt hung over him, and he almost considered backing out. Almost.

They turned to face the east and began to walk.

…

Lalam watched the two go with an annoyed scowl on her face. No way were those two going on an adventure while she was stuck with this boring group! Anyway, with Roy fawning over Lilina all the time, it's not like she had anything keeping her here.

She spun on a practiced heel and marched to her tent, already going through a mental list of what she had to bring. She walked past a sad looking boy with green hair, who was holding a note…

…

_Dear Lugh,_

_I'm sorry. I know that this is probably giving you an extreme case of déjà vu, but let me assure you, it was unavoidable._

_I've had to leave. I need to repay a favor. It's not just because I need to continue my studies, I promise._

_Look towards the east when you think of me; I'll know when you do._

_I'll come back as soon as I can. Take care of yourself, and tell Chad I said good-bye. He already hates me enough for leaving the first time, so I think it'll be better if I include him this time._

_I love you._

_Your brother,_

_Rei_

Lugh stared down at the letter, trying to fight the tears that threatened to well up. Rei had left him all alone once again.

Well, he's not getting away this time! Lugh sprinted for his tent to pack. He was heading east, after his brother. Even if Roy said he couldn't.

…

_Dear Family of Garvey Briggs,_

_The Army of Bern would like to inform you of the passing of your son/brother/grandson/other, Garvey Briggs. We extend our extreme sympathies, and apologize for not being able to send you his last payment. It is wartime, and we need all the money we can get. _

_The body of Garvey is currently being sent to you, and will be there soon enough so that you may hold a proper funeral._

_Sincerely,_

_The Army of Bern_

Ashleigh crushed the piece of paper in her fist, refusing to believe it. Garvey was not dead. He could not be dead. He had promised her.

_Curse them, _she thought fiercely, _Lycia and Bern!_

She needed to stop this pathetic war.

…

Themindlessemblem: so… what did ya think?

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Serra: it wants to be your friend…

Marcia: was that necessary cheezebrain?

Serra: very.

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